16. Then their national leaders said:All the women of the Benjamin tribe were killed. How can we get wives for the men of Benjamin who are left?
17. If they don't have children, one of the Israelite tribes will die out.
18. But we can't let the men of Benjamin marry any of our daughters. We made a sacred promise not to do that, and if we break our promise, we will be under our own curse.
19. Then someone suggested, “What about the Lord's Festival that takes place each year in Shiloh? It's held north of Bethel, south of Lebonah, and just east of the road that goes from Bethel to Shechem.”
20. The leaders told the men of Benjamin who still did not have wives:Go to Shiloh and hide in the vineyards near the festival.